WASHINGTON, Oct. 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today expressed solidarity with the Jewish community in Pittsburgh and nationwide following a deadly attack on a synagogue in that city.

"We condemn this heinous and cowardly attack on a house of worship, offer heartfelt condolences to the loved ones of all those who were killed or injured and express our solidarity with the Jewish community during this time of shock and grief."

CAIR-Pittsburgh Chapter President Safdar Khwaja added:

"This barbaric attack on our neighbors, with whom we share our city and have visited and dialogued multiple times, is deeply disturbing and horrifying. Such an act of terror affects all of us. We offer our full support and assistance in the aftermath of this tragedy, and our doors are open at all times to our neighbors. This attack is on American values and principles of humanity, and we all need to come together to restore civilized values to our society. We urge law enforcement authorities to bring to justice all those responsible or complicit in this act of terror."

The Washington-based civil rights organization is urging all houses of worship and faith-based and advocacy organizations to take extra security precautions as outlined in its "Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety" booklet. The advice in CAIR's security publication is applicable to all institutions, regardless of organizational mission.